Carpool Confessions

So today was the first day of carpooling with another student teacher. He teaches history. It's cool because we are in separate cohorts. They have divided us into cohort 1 (science, math, english, music, IT) and cohort 2 (PE, social studies and another subject I can't think of) and we have separate class meetings. It's kind of weird because we're so isolated by being online in the first place and then we're even more segregated and forget about even knowing the elementary ed majors...

So, I have it super good in terms of placement and also students...My carpool buddy told me almost his entire class (except for 8 students) cut class the Friday before break in protest. They were apparently protesting him being their student teacher! Ridic! cray cray I said! And get this, it was also this student teacher's birthday. None of those students better be in one of my classes...AND his MT didn't even do anything about it! When I told mine she said that everyone who cut would be in BIG BIG trouble and that if she had to, she would sit in the back of the room everyday to make sure that people showed up and also behaved. So, while this situation was appalling, it was nice to know that my MT has my back and would support me. I can just imagine her calling in all their moms to have a "little chat."

It really put my problems, or lack of problems in perspective...Like for instance today my Anatomy students brought up the word madam (as in the head of a brothel) and decided they would use their newly expanded vocabulary to refer to me. Funny. Harmless. And I was like, well at least they're in class...

Overall, I like carpooling so far but I think that one day might be a small sample size to make any strong conclusions. It was nice to have someone to talk to instead of singing to the radio or trying to eat breakfast on the way.



carpooling in the 21st century...

Clinical Observation

During the semester, my university supervisor will be making several (okay only like 6) visits to observe my teaching. Today was the first day that he got to see me teach anatomy. What perfect timing because we are beginning our learning of the skeletal system. I purposefully say we because this is one of those human anatomy topics that I never learned. I am learning it to teach it which in reality, is good training for me. My MT came up to the front of the classroom at the beginning of 6th period to silently whisper to the two boys in the front whom I refer to as my peanut gallery. I asked them if she told them to behave because my supervisor was in the back of the room. We didn't tell the students who he was or introduce him to any of them I think because we weren't really thinking of it and we'd already introduced him to bio earlier in the year...One of my girls about halfway through the period raises her hand and when I call on her she motions for me to come to her and whispers, "Who is that old guy and why is he in the back of the classroom?"

These kids! They seriously crack me up!! That reminds me that I have to do some research on color-blindness because somehow they got on to the topic of it and I'm only familiar with red-green colorblindness and they wanted to know about loss or lack of color vision. I am thinking it would be someone without functioning cones (which are for color vision and rods are for black and white vision (so they give you your "night vision")).

I have learned to come prepared with factoids to distract the kids from asking me questions I don't know. Today my factoids were about bone marrow and its use in different cultures in cuisine. I also told them that the human body is 4% bone marrow by mass. So far, this technique seems to be working out all right. I am also becoming more comfortable not knowing the answer to questions because it's not like they think I'm a total idiot. Although I do wonder what they say because one of my students was talking about his Spanish student teacher and he said, "He's really old." I couldn't think of anyone in the program who is "old" so I asked, "Really?" He said, "Well, he's like 40, he already has kids and everything!" BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Job Interview Hiatus

This past Monday I had my final interview for Teach for America. I am not sure exactly how it went because the interviewers seemed puzzled by my presence. I was the only person who is earning a teaching credential which isn't really surprising as you don't need one to be in their program. I was the one of two people who wanted to teach high school and one of two people who wanted to teach science (the other wanted to teach elementary science). This is out of the total applicants present which was 12. It was a rather long morning and I'm not allowed to share specifics but I honestly have no clue how it went. Luckily I'm not relying on this as my sole opportunity. I have two other job fairs I will be going and I am trying to watch edjoin and research districts I might want to work.

It was weird because I missed my students today. They had all last week off because this county is one of the few places that still gives a week for Presidents' Day off from school. My students were very concerned with my absence and even more concerned when they found out why. Apparently they don't want me to move away. I explained that I have to move because there are no jobs teaching science in this area. Most of them were just concerned that I am going to leave before the last day of school this year but my mentor teacher explained to them that it's for a teaching job starting next fall. Honestly I hadn't thought about how it is going to feel to leave my students but I think it will be sad...I'm going to have to make a "Ms. Henderson" facebook so I can stay in touch with them! I have only been teaching them for 3 weeks but I already feel like they are my students.

Grandma Riley sent me a very funny and very relevant email...Here are some of my faves:






we're talking about the skeletal system in anatomy so this one is perfect! We told them a fib is a little lie so the fibula is the little bone (w.r.t. the tibia)

Singing Valentines: An EHS tradition

Every year, Limited Edition, the school's vocal group does a fundraiser called singing valentines. Five members of the club will serenade your valentine with the song of your choice from a selection of like 5 or 6 songs. The choices included songs by the Temptations such as My Girl and Stand By Me and other classics such as in the Still of the Night and Can't Help Falling in Love with you...You can purchase them and have them go to a person at EHS or on Valentines Day, the students travel and sing to members in the community. It was quite the show. Each person serenaded receives 1 red rose as well.

It was a nice change to hear the valentines being sung throughout the day in the science wing. Until...It's 6 period (the last period of the day) and my students are taking their exam on the skin. Most of them are done as there is about 30 minutes left of class. In file 5 Limited Edition members and I was wondering who in the class was about to get serenaded...they walk in front of my desk and 2 of them are my students (one from 6th period and the other from 2nd period) and turn the corner and congregate around me! One of the other staff members sent me a singing valentine! They then proceeded to serenade me with Stand By Me. (which has been stuck in my head ever since)...So, yeah, today was just another day at the high school....

Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays...

Whew! Today was a Monday if I've ever had one!! I was so tired! (Gosh, I feel like I keep saying that)...I actually had to get stern with my bio class. They were supposed to be working on their study guides. My MT went to the copy room (see a pattern here?) and I could not get them to stop talking. I was trying to remind them very gently and ask them very nicely to quiet down so that those who wanted to work on their study guides would be able to work but it was just not happening. Finally I turned off the lights...well this was sort of a fail because the light switch in the middle wants to flip back on so I sorta only succeed in creating a light show that would cause a seizure. haha! They finally got quiet and I said in a very stern and the strongest voice I could muster that everyone needed to be quiet. This worked for literally a milisecond and they were back talking. Finally, I said, "I am going to start subtracting points every time you talk." This quieted them down and they stayed silent for the duration of the class. They looked so shocked! That was the first time I had to get stern with them. They were totally testing me. I made sure this time to say that I was not talking about every student, just the ones who were talking.

week 2_getting in the groove

I am tired still from last week. I am definitely not as nervous as I was last Monday. I feel an air of, "I've got this." Not in a cocky way, just a bit of confidence to help me feel more sure of myself.

This week wasn't very exciting, we mostly took notes. I was really worried about one boy who got a 0 on his quiz last week and I asked him if I was talking too fast or if there was anything I could do to help him and he assured me there wasn't but I am still trying to figure out what to do to help him. This week he got a 3 out of 5 on his quiz so I feel a lot better. I hope he can keep this up because he got an F last semester. 

Speaking of my other F student...OMG! He does NOT pay attention!! I filmed a lesson on Weds and he and his partner in crime (I've also put this pair in the front) decided it would be HILARIOUS to put their orange slices in their mouths like smiles and stare at me while I was talking. Try to concentrate while that is going on!! Hahaha! It was all I could do not to laugh.I finally asked them to finish up their oranges and then as soon as I turned around you can see one of the boys on camera put the slice back into his mouth! Seriously, still trying not to bust up laughing.

I am still not comfortable in anatomy! I get flustered and lose my place. On Friday, they were so out of hand that I stopped and got serious with them (I don't get stern and they hadn't seen me do it before). My MT was out of the room making and phone call and she came back in to see stunned faces and hear me say, "You get a 1 minute to break to talk/stretch/whatever and when the timer goes off, you will be silent and taking notes unless you raise your hand to answer or ask a question." After class, my MT was all what happened, what did they do? I told her that they were not listening and two students would not stop talking. For the future, I need to make sure that I am not being so stern with the whole class that I make sure to preface something like this with, "I know this doesn't apply to all of you, or this applies to most but not all of you, etc" My MT made a really good point that some students might have been made to feel bad even though they didn't do it. I am going to do this in the future.

This week I found out that I was selected for a final interview with Teach for America. I am so excited. It is in San Francisco on February 25 at 9am. :)

Week 1_initation

Well, as you can see, I survived my 1st week of student teaching. It was absolutely exhausting in the most fantastic way. It didn't go perfect but what would be the fun in that? I am now responsible for 3rd period Biology college prep and 6th period Human Anatomy/Physiology.

Day 1: Procedural. This was the first day of the spring semester so in Bio, we set up their new interactive notebooks. In anatomy, we cleared out their binders. One of the boys in the back lost his partner in crime so he moved to the front and has now teamed up with another boisterous boy in the front to cause a ruckus. It's hilarious but distracting.

Day 2: In Bio we continued disease and immunity by focusing on the immunity portion. I lectured about immunity, specifically the non-specific defenses broken down into chemical and physical barriers. In anatomy, we continued with the skin. I lectured on the functions of the skin.

Day 3: We continued the notes. I am still not getting used to them asking me questions that I don't know the answer to and it's starting to freak me out that I'm not preparing adequately. Today the two boys in the front and center of the front row were in fine form trying anything they could to make me lose focus while teaching anatomy.

Day 4: In Bio, we did a lab where students looked at prepared blood smear slides. They had to identify and draw red blood cells, platelets, and two kinds of white blood cells. In Anatomy, we continued the notes.

Day 5: I found it super hard to get out of bed today. I am so tired! Today was long for me and stressful because I feel like I am not doing as well as I had hoped I would at the beginning of the week. Being in front of the class is a lot harder than I thought.

I brought the bio notebooks home (all 25 of them) to grade over the weekend. This is the first time I am grading an entire class set of notebooks. I am starting to feel more like a teacher. Everyone who came over to my house this weekend wanted to know why on earth I have so many notebooks!

I went to a superbowl party and the host's 5 year old wanted to know why I had to do so many people's homework. I was grading the anatomy homework and she thought I had to do it for them! :) I explained to her that I was a teacher and asked her if her teacher graded their papers and then she understood. She insisted that we put stickers on their homework and asked why one girl who wrote the most had to answer "so many more questions" I told her that she was my best student and I think she put like 5 stickers on her paper!